Identify the place values from right to left: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128
Read each bit as either 0 or 1
Add the place values where the bit is 1
Ignore the place values where the bit is 0
Convert the total into decimal
Group bits into sets of 4 or 8 if needed
Use a binary-to-decimal chart if helpful
Use a binary-to-ASCII chart for text
Use a binary-to-hex chart for compact representation
Practice with short binary numbers first